Slivered soak of weeping flesh,
is sculpted deep and true,
to show the face of suffering
which I will wear for you.
The cross of life's confessional,
is carved upon my soul,
and written deep in gentled arms;
nailed firm to history's wall.
Raised high upon ancestral trees,
sunk deep in bitter earth,
my pain is layered dreamily;
revealed as Shadow's curse.
The crucifixion is complete,
my destiny assured,
as cloven hoof and budded horns,
bear witness to your cause.
N.B. I first encountered this as a child when my mother disappeared into the nether world. For anyone who has personal experience of this I am not saying that others are to 'blame' but merely that those who resort to self-harm are in some ways a 'scapegoat', albeit unconsciously or subconsciously, and they 'carry' the suffering for others. Seeing it symbolically in this way helped me to process my experience with my mother. And on the basis that we are all 'connected' - what one is, we all are; what we do to ourselves we do to others and what we do for ourselves, because everything we do meets some need, we do for others.
is sculpted deep and true,
to show the face of suffering
which I will wear for you.
The cross of life's confessional,
is carved upon my soul,
and written deep in gentled arms;
nailed firm to history's wall.
Raised high upon ancestral trees,
sunk deep in bitter earth,
my pain is layered dreamily;
revealed as Shadow's curse.
The crucifixion is complete,
my destiny assured,
as cloven hoof and budded horns,
bear witness to your cause.
N.B. I first encountered this as a child when my mother disappeared into the nether world. For anyone who has personal experience of this I am not saying that others are to 'blame' but merely that those who resort to self-harm are in some ways a 'scapegoat', albeit unconsciously or subconsciously, and they 'carry' the suffering for others. Seeing it symbolically in this way helped me to process my experience with my mother. And on the basis that we are all 'connected' - what one is, we all are; what we do to ourselves we do to others and what we do for ourselves, because everything we do meets some need, we do for others.
Here's the key. How often do we happen upon someone we care about when they aren't aware of our presence? Write your poem of such a moment to both describe the physical elements and your own emotional experience of that scene.
http://wewritepoems.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/prompt-139-a-moment-unexpected/#respond
http://wewritepoems.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/prompt-139-a-moment-unexpected/#respond
The crucifixion metaphor makes this a very powerful poem.The experience must have had a profound effect on you while growing up.
ReplyDeleteIt did Viv. I can see the look in her eyes even now, poor thing. Children block out a lot though which helps. And can later hurt I might add.
DeleteYour words are so moving. What an experience for a child to have to experience. I hope your writing will continue to help you with the processing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Robyn. I feel I have processed my childhood now but yes, the writing did help enormously.
DeleteThank you for the context, so that your poem may have a more profound effect on us, when we reread it. It becomes more powerful with the personal.
ReplyDeleteOne would like to hope we are all connected in some way. That pain shared is pain halved. Writing helps. Even when and especially when others choose different interpretations. That I think allows for the writer in us to continually seek new word combinations that will both protect as well as share our experiences.
ReplyDeleteThis poem moved me very deeply, Ros, and I feel quite bereft of appropriate words to offer you.
ReplyDeleteRosyln...an amazing write and an important place to go and I agree with, Margo...thank you for taking us to the personal behind that in the second reading..it hits the core...very affecting and so much truth. ♥
ReplyDelete